Shades of Truth
by TTRAnimus
Summary: Things are not always when they seem...even when it comes to the turtles' past. The turtles find this out when they learn of a doctor who saved them and the experiment done on Donatello when they were all normal turtles. Warning: Donnie Torture, OC, Blood
1. Prologue: Mother

**Bold** is thought.

Disclaimer: I do not own the TMNT.

Warning: Blood (especially in this chapter), Language, and an OC.

Okay, this is the first time that I've ever tried to incorporate an Original Character in one of my fanfics, hope you guys like her!

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Black heeled feet clicked against hard gray metal as a pale white woman with long blond hair walked down a fluorescent-lighted, little known hallway in Area 51. This woman was Dr. Arianna Lawson, and she was about to do something that no other scientist under Agent Bishop had done. She was going to free some of his test subjects. They weren't officially Agent Bishop's, she reminded herself. He probably didn't even know what the geneticists were doing to those four turtles. Arianna turned a corner, nervously buttoning the buttons on her white lab coat as she walked to Lab 12- the animal testing lab. She was never as aware of how itchy her plain white buttoned-down shirt and black pants were then at this moment. Scientists and geneticists filed past her, bustling with fresh gossip about experiments and discoveries.

The labs in this section had not been upgraded like the alien weapons section, and were not automatic. Arianna grasped the light gray, metal handle and swallowed a gulp of air, turning her head to the right and left before walking in. She allowed a sigh to pass through her lips as she looked around at the dimly lit gray room that held all of the animals in their dirty cages or jars. Tables and lab chairs reflected metal and blood samples in shiny glass tubes. **They don't deserve this…** Arianna thought to herself, feeling a pang of guilt for her part in all of this. She had used the animals mercilessly for the past couple of years to test experimental treatments. She had even lost her temper a few times and had beaten up a few of them. The creatures in these cages were not animals…not really. Most of them knew how to speak English and scream when pain was inflicted on them. The speakers were always the first to go because they wouldn't stop begging for mercy.

Arianna could not free all of them, despite how much she wanted too. The doctor forced herself to focus on the glass jar of turtles on one of the highest shelves in the back of the small room. These four turtles still had the chance to live, unlike their predecessors. The scientists had gotten the turtles about a week ago via a shipment from turtle poachers. Their container was labeled for chemical experiments; the experiments revolving around the injection of different special genes. Arianna looked up at the jar and reached up to grab it when she noticed that one turtle was missing. **Only three? But there were four, I'm sure!** Arianna thought as her heart sunk. One of them could already be dead, she thought gravely. The doctor was about to grab the jar anyway and run when the door to the lab opened right behind her. Thinking quickly, Arianna ducked behind a cage full of dogs in a shadowy corner that was near to the shelf that held the turtles. Curse words flowed quickly through her head as the scientists entered the room, holding a squirming animal in their coldly gloved hands. Relief flowed in her chest as she saw that the animal they were holding was the missing baby turtle- the olive green one.

"Thank god," Arianna quietly muttered under her breath as the scientists left the room with an intelligent animal screaming and begging in its cage.

She took the container from the shelf, looking at the turtles stacked on top of one another in the cramped jar. Turning around and walked quickly but calmly towards the exit, she grabbed a paper sack that one of the scientists had left there and put the turtle jar inside. Arianna opened the door to the hallway and looked to her left and right again. The fluorescent lights of the hallway made the hallway seem like heaven, disguising its internal hell for the experiments trapped in jars and cages. Arianna exited the lab and walked towards the hangar of the base- where all the cars and helicopters were. Her shoulders were tense from both stress and worry that she would be caught. She knew the price of breaking rules in Agent Bishop's Area 51. You would no longer be the scientist, but the experiment that the scientists play with. Arianna saw people pass her, even knock into her, but she did not scream and run like she wanted too.

**They probably haven't even noticed yet**… Arianna thought to herself as yet another geneticists bumped into her absentmindedly. She managed to get into the hangar without getting shot by one of the trigger happy commandos that Agent Bishop loved to put everywhere. The hangar was all metal with red lights that beat down on her in a way that was similar to the florescent lights. Arianna calmly walked towards a jeep that was parked near to the open doorway of the hangar. She was glad that she had chosen this time to perform the heist, knowing that the doors remained open all day so that the scientists out in the field could return at any time.

"Where are you going, Doctor Lawson?" a commando asked from a position right next to Arianna.

She gave a small jolt, surprised by how quickly the soldier had arrived.

Arianna managed to cover up her visible nervousness with a cough and a smile, replying, "Oh, I heard one of the scientists in the field got a sprained ankle. He needs medical assistance so I was ordered by Agent Bishop to assist him."

The name "Agent Bishop" worked like a charm, the commando immediately backing up with a grunt and moving away. She was about to get into the car when she realized that she did not have the key. Turning around, Arianna went towards a metal cabinet that had a numerical padlock on it. Right after her internship as a doctor at a local hospital and on her first day as the doctor in Area 51, she had been given the code to the key cabinet. This was to make her more efficient to getting to injured scientists in the field. Arianna typed in the numerical password with pale, graceful hands and opened the door silently.

The jeep's key felt cold in her hands as she closed the door, turning and strolling towards the jeep. She thought about the commando and was almost unable to suppress a chuckle and how scared he had been of their commander's name. No other bothered anyone with a mission from Agent Bishop- it was too dangerous. She was confident that she was going to get away from this base with the turtles without any more trouble when the alarm started to blare. Arianna could not afford to wait and see if the alarm was a false alarm as she jumped into the jeep and turned it on. She threw the jar onto the other seat with maybe too much force as she jammed the key into the ignition and turned it on. The car first jerked forward before speeding off with a cry of pain.

Arianna could hear cursing and even the firing of lasers that nearly hit her tires. She couldn't help but curse herself as she stomped her feet on the gas pedal angrily. The only thing that was calming was the churring coming from the jar next to her. She laughed, removing one hand from the steering wheel to pet the top of the jar. Arianna could still hear the blazing of alarms behind her, but she did not see anything so she assumed that she and the turtles were alright. They were alright; they were safer then they had ever been before with her. What Arianna did not notice was the blinking little dot on the bottom of the car. It was the blinking dot that would bring all of the scientists upon her eventually.

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Arianna breathed in a large gulp of air as she stared out into the busy New York streets from her place on a stone balcony. The air seemed to circle around her like pet dogs to their master, lifting her long, blond hair as she gave a laugh. Her tight, pink, tank top clung to her torso as she stared out at the sight below her like an innocent spectator waiting for something amazing. She had been living in New York City for several months now with a new identity and the occupation of a local painter. Arianna knew she could never go back to being the one thing that she loved, but she could not risk being caught. She had stolen one of the prized experiments and, as such, she was liable to die if she was ever caught. The former doctor gave a calming sigh, her blue jeans and bare feet not making any noise as she turned around to head inside. The steel french doors with light purple drapery closed with the loud clink of keys as Arianna closed the doors to the outside.

Her apartment was pretty, but very spartan in appearance. There was barely anything in her whole apartment other than a box of pizza, a table with a fish tank on it, a few canvases, and a bed. Arianna did not own any fish, but kept the turtles she had freed in there. When she had first arrived in New York City, she had thought about selling them to a local pet store. However, Arianna had unknowingly become too attracted to the four little babies and found herself unable to part with the cute turtles. She walked over to the fish tank, where the four turtles were all snuggling together, and couldn't help wanting to pick them up and hug them. Arianna did not, though, because they seemed to content to be by themselves. She walked into her light pink-colored bedroom and thought about how she reached this point after her escape from the base with the guys.

After she had escaped, she had driven around for a bit as she tried to figure out what to do with her life. Arianna tried many jobs, including being a nursery director, but she did not find any passion in it. Not any passion like she had had with being a doctor, anyway. That had changed when she started to paint, though. Her paintings had been badly received when she first tried to sell them, but as she got better they sold for a bit more. The new income from her artwork, along with the saved money from being a doctor, allowed her to move from her car to a small apartment in New York City. It was not the best apartment in New York City, being located in one of the poorer sections, but it was fine for Arianna. Here she was, now, and here was hopefully where she would stay.

Arianna slipped on a pair of thin socks before slipping on a pair of black converse. She needed to go and get some actual turtle food, she told herself, not the small bits of pizza she had been serving them ever since they had moved. With her converse on, she moved towards the kitchen, grabbing the jar that the turtles had been in before from a shelf in the empty cabinet next to the steel refrigerator. Arianna wanted to show her little friends more of their new home city then they had seen over the past month. She also wanted to have the olive green turtle checked out to see if the scientists did something to him that day. Arianna hoped that they hadn't, but the animal testing scientists were mindless scoundrels who would kill a puppy and not cry so she was concerned. Gently putting her hand into the fish tank, she was pleasantly surprised when she felt the turtles willinging snuggling into her hand. Careful not to break the invisible bond of trust between herself and the turtles, Arianna picked up one turtle at a time and put them into the jar tenderly.

When all of the turtles were in the jar, Arianna closed the punctured lid with a squeak and walked towards the door with the jar in hand. She grabbed her apartment keys and opened the door to her apartment, closing it behind her as stealthily and quickly as a ninja in their prime. The dimly lit green-painted hallway reminded the artist of her former residence, provoking a small shiver as she walked towards the flight of stairs. It required a bit of energy for her to walk down the three flights of stairs that separated her from the disgusting lobby. There were always smokers in the lobby, despite the elderly owner's desire to keep the area a non-smoking zone. The horrible smell of smoke was only overcome by the sour smell of fresh yellow paint on the walls. They were trying to re-make the apartment complex to make it more welcoming for potential renters, Arianna could tell. It usually never worked, she also concluded sadly as she walked away from the apartment complex and towards a pet shop that was only a few feet away. Her journey was stopped short when a man pushed into her, saying the scariest words she had ever heard in her life.

"Run, Doctor Lawson."

Arianna started to run right after the man had told her too as she recognized the cold face of the man as being the scientist who was in charge of the turtles. If he knew where she was, then the commandos probably knew as well and she was going to die. Crashing into people, tears started to stream down her face. I don't want to die, I don't want to die! Arianna thought to herself frenziedly as she continued to duck in and out of crowds. She cursed herself for being so stupid as to steal the turtles from the lab. Arianna was near to wishing that she had never done it when several crashes littered the area. There were sounds of splashing, and the sounds of horrified screaming from her lungs.

Blood splashed in her face as the doctor realized that she had been shot and was now falling towards the concrete. Arianna fell hard, dying, with the turtles still in her arms. Dragging her mind away from frenzied thoughts of hatred at the turtles, the dying woman thought just about saving them again. She turned her head slightly towards a storm drain only; at most, a foot away from where the turtle jar was in her hands. Ignoring the sounds of screaming that were coming from the spectators around her, Arianna threw the glass jar at the storm drain. It shattered, and the turtles fell into the sewer below. Coughing up blood, all sound faded from the artist's ears as well as color and touch. The last thoughts that ran through her head were the same thoughts that were in her head when she had been driving away from the base.

"They will be safe."

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	2. Headaches and Rage

**Bold** is thought.

Disclaimer: I do not own the TMNT, I just torture them for kicks.

Warning: Blood, Language, and an OC. (Also, Raph/Don somehow managed to get its way into this story too, sorry! Also there are hints of Don/Leo if you lean towards that pairing.)

I kept on changing and adding things for DAYS because I wanted this chapter to be pretty good. So, I hope you like it! ^^

//////////Review Responses//////////

the-bunnys-echo: Thanks for the review and for the compliment about the pizza comment. I thought that part would be pretty good, just as a bit of fun info. ^^

Quoth the Raven: Thanks for all of the compliments about my story. I hope I please you just as well with this chapter!

Dark-Princess-Hikari: *laughs* You'll get to see what happens to your Donny-baby! (Don't worry about the rabid thing, I'm a rabid Donny fan too. ^^)

Deana: Looks like you got your wish! I hope you like it!

//////////Fifteen Years Later…at 4:00 A.M//////////

The bright lights of computer monitors cut through the darkness of the near silent lair like a knife. The purple wearing turtle couldn't help but wince when the bright light hit his sensitive and tired eyes. He knew that he should have gone to sleep hours ago and that he was going to get another lecture about pulling all-nighters, but he could not stop himself. Don just had to finish that one anti-hacker program. His logical, incredibly tired side told him that the Foot hackers would not hack into his carefully lain defense system if he went to sleep. However, Don wasn't too keen on taking that chance. Taking one big finger from each hand, he rubbed under his eyes.

The scratchy surface of the mask rubbed on the black bags under his eyes, and he suppressed a small moan.** Maybe the guys are right, perhaps I do need more sleep…** Don thought to himself, laying his chin on his keyboard. The keyboard always gave a small beep along with a click whenever he typed, and due to Don's chin being somewhere between the Z and ? keys it was giving out a long, streaming beep that annoyed him to no end. Finally lifting his head, Don yawned and got up out of the computer chair. Only the thought of getting coffee passed through the teenage turtle's head as he passed through the living room to the dark kitchen.

Without missing a beat, he turned on the light with a flick of his finger against the switch, and proceeded to the cabinet where all of the coffee was. If there was anything more in abundance in the household than tea and pizza, it was coffee. Don knew he was probably a caffeine addict and that it was unhealthy, but he was prepared with a counter-argument should the topic ever come up. It was centered on the fact that Mikey had a pizza addiction and Leo was addicted to tea. So, according to that, why couldn't the purple-wearing turtle like a bit of coffee in the morning? He set up to make a nice cup of coffee, taking a purple, cracked, cup out of the cabinet above the coffee machine and setting it on the counter gently. Don opened a new packet of ground coffee (along with a new filter) and prepared a pot of it, rejoicing internally as the heavenly smell woke him up almost immediately.

He started to hear whimpering coming from where they all had their bedrooms. Don couldn't help the sort of concerned expression that came on his face when the whimpering became even louder. At first, the turtle had no idea who was whimpering in their sleep, and then it hit him as he heard a few growls. **Raph,** Don sighed internally as the sounds became a bit louder. He was glad it was just whimpering, not screaming like it used to be. Raphael, his brother, had always had night terrors. Before, when and before he was 13, Raphael had always done his best to keep his brothers away from his room so that they wouldn't know about the frequent problem. However, Don had found out and now forced Raphael to take medicine for it. The medicine, unfortunately, did not keep the red-banded turtle from having a lower version of the night terrors, though, and Don always heard his brother whimper at night.

He turned his head towards the pot of coffee, relieved to see that it was not done yet. He could attend to his brother without any interruptions. Don quietly crept into the main part of the lair and jumped up to the second floor. That was the level where all of their rooms were. He walked in a semi-circle from where he started at, eventually ending up at the open doorway that lead into his whimpering elder brother's room. Don knew that Raphael wouldn't kill him for disturbing his privacy in this way, now. In fact, Don thought that the turtle might actually like being disturbed if it got him away from the nightmare he was having. The terrapin took a step into Raphael's room, nearly tripping over one of the hand-made barbells that littered the floor. He looked at the blue stone floor and the rusty orange wall that was decorated with violent posters of even more violent movies. The stone wall was also "decorated" with cracks, signs that the turtle had spent the majority of his angry moments in this room.

Trying to ignore the obvious signs of distress and anger that showed itself in the messy room, Don gulped down a load of air as he walked over to his brother's hammock. Raphael was muttering to himself, giving out tired whimpers as he turned over every few minutes. Don hated seeing his older brother like this, but he knew it was better than the night terrors that they had had to face before. Putting a hand on Raphael's shoulder, Don gently shook the hothead. At first the only response to his incessant shaking was a small grumble and an even louder whimper, but Donatello continued his shaking until amber eyes opened and he was glared at by his elder brother.

"Whacha doin' here, Don?" Raphael asked, annoyance lacing his tone of voice like venom on a rattlesnake's fangs. He absolutely hated to be woken up, especially in what was, probably, early in the morning.

"Is the medicine really working, Raph? I heard you whimpering from the kitchen again," Don asked, ignoring the acidity of his brother's voice as best as he could.

"Again?…Damn it, yes, the freakin' medicine is working. Now let me sleep you mo- Hey, what's wrong?" Raph bit back bitterly at first, but then asked matter-of-factly.

Don had noticed a headache starting to form as he talked to Raphael, but he did not notice his hiss of pain or when he put both of his hands on his now throbbing head. He jerked his hands off of his head and looked at his brother, muttering something along the lines of a yes. Don smiled internally when he saw how concerned his brother now was. Raphael always tried to be the stone wall, the turtle without the "bothersome emotions", but he failed so utterly at it that it was hilarious. That sent a small chuckle running through Don's throat into the open air.

Raphael immediately stiffened, embarrassed slightly, and turned over. His back was facing Don now as he muttered something about the medicine working and to get off his shell about it. Don sighed when he heard Raphael's steady breathing echoing around the room. He was asleep and the coffee machine had probably already gone away from his brother's bed, he gripped his head in one hand when another large throb of pain went through his head. This sudden pain came so quickly that Don nearly fell on another barbell as he stumbled out of Raph's room.

**I didn't expect to have another one…I mean; I haven't had these kinds of headaches since I was a kid… **Don pondered, jumping from the second floor down to the main floor almost gracefully. The hard smell of black coffee seduced and dragged Don into the kitchen similarly to a well-trained and wickedly vivacious prostitute. He couldn't help but not focus on his headache as he removed the pot of coffee and poured himself a cup full. Don sipped on the coffee, holding himself back from pouring the entire cup into his mouth in one fluid gulp.

His elbows dropped onto the counter as he sighed for the millionth time that night, taking another sip of coffee with one hand holding the cup. The other hand, his right hand, put the coffee pot back into the machine. Don heard the captive coffee sloshing inside the pot, but overlooked it. The headache seemed to be farther away now due to the caffeine from the coffee, and the turtle was grateful for that. Donatello yawned, turning away from the counter and walking towards his computer lab with silent, fluid steps. Just a few hours more of working, and maybe he could get some sleep.

//////////8:02 AM//////////

Don could feel turtle hands on his shoulders. Those hands almost gently pulled him from the fitful two hours of sleep that the techno turtle had managed to get. He wished that whoever was pulling him from his slumber would leave him alone, especially when he was sleeping in his computer chair with his face on the keyboard. Unwillingly, Don opened his eyes and winced again as his sensitive eyes nearly burned against the harsh light of the computer screen again. Clumsily and lazily, Don wiped the drool off that dribbled off of his face, in his sleep, to form a pool of sorts on the keyboard. He could hear his brother leave the room as the tired turtle rubbed his eyes. Don would have fallen asleep again on his keyboard if the sweet smell of pancakes hadn't caught his attention. He did not really like pancakes because of their sweet taste, but his stomach considered it food and growled all the same.

He turned his computer chair to his right so that he could get up and go to the kitchen for breakfast. _Klunity Klunk Klunk_, Don heard the cup fall to the ground due to his own clumsy hand. The cup skidded across the ground with a small screech before stopping in front of the door. Thankfully the cup had been empty, or else Don would have had to clean up yet another puddle of spilled coffee off of the blue stone floor of his computer area. He stumbled out of his computer area into the bright sounds and smells of Mikey cooking breakfast while bickering with Raph. The red-cladded turtle was next to his younger brother, growling and staring at what Mikey was cooking. It seemed like the hotheaded dark green turtle wanted something to eat even more then the mild-mannered olive green turtle. All of the playful fighting between the two stopped as Don entered the room. Everything was awkward for a minute with Don's arrival, but Mikey soon found a way to dispel the strange moment.

"Wow, who woke up on the wrong side of the keyboard!" Mikey laughed, pointing at where the keys had imprinted their shape onto Don's forehead, beak, and cheeks.

"At least he wasn't talking in his sleep," Raphael quickly shot back, reaching over and whacking his youngest brother on the head.

"Is that the best you've got, bro? That was so GIRLY!" Mikey laughed, ducking with a scared squeak when Raphael let out an angry roar and sent a barbaric punch towards the terrified turtle.

"You want to see girly?! YOU WANT TO SEE GIRLY?!" Raphael yelled, ready to beat Mikey into a punch despite Donnie's attempts to calm him with words.

"Raphael! Calm your temper!" an old, but nevertheless powerful voice echoed in the kitchen from the voice of a very old and wise mutant rat.

Everyone stopped everything when they saw Leonardo and Master Splinter in the battleground of the kitchen. Raphael was still poised to knock Mikey into the next life, but his muscles were less tense now that he had been brought out of his angry rampage. With a soft growl echoing from the soft pallet in his throat, the hotheaded turtle backed off from the youngest and stormed out of the kitchen. The turtle did not acknowledge any of his brothers or his father when he stormed out, but that was probably a good thing in Raphael's current mental state. Don sighed, looking at how everyone was reacting to Raphael's sudden temper tantrum. Don shrugged when there was no reaction; he did not expect that much of a reaction because Raphael was a hothead and he was their brother. In other words, they had seen it all too much for it to be considered nothing more than a common occurrence.

Don could see Master Splinter sigh and ask Leonardo to do something. It was probably to fetch Raphael, from the leader's slightly annoyed expression. The turtle knew how much fetching Raphael from one of his fits was annoying to the leader. Just to make things run a bit more smoothly so that the two would not erupt into one of their fights, again, Don was going to go with them. However, the headache returned suddenly with a ruthless attack and halted the genius' little plan in its tracks. He settled for going into the main area of the lair and sitting down on the scratchy sofa in front of the noisy television. Mikey called for him to come back since breakfast was almost ready, but Don just shrugged it off and did not reply. The desire for food was no longer in the workaholic, but a new desire for going to the bathroom and retching was rising up in him like a geyser.

"My son, are you feeling well?" a concerned, elderly voice sounded behind the genius turtle, making the teenager nearly jump. He was so out of it he hadn't even sensed his father!

"Yeah, Master Splinter. I'm just not that hungry right now," Don lied, looking back at his father with a small smile on his olive green face.

Don looked at Master Splinter's worried face, and felt a bit guilty for lying to him about his condition. He was especially guilty since he could see that the father had seen through the lie. Before the rat could point out that there was something wrong, though, a miracle happened. Raph and Leo stormed into the lair, both angry with each other but in different ways. Leonardo was mainly silent, seething in his own anger that was similar to a silent, but nasty computer virus. Raphael, on the other hand, was yelling at Leonardo and acting like a system failure that almost instantly would murder a computer. Don turned his head back towards the blaring television, giving a sigh of annoyance. He heard their father get near to the back of the couch and lay a hand of him. A light one-second touch that was soon taken away as Master Splinter's soft, furry, footsteps followed the two angry turtles into the kitchen.

Giving a groan as Mikey started to tease Raph again in the kitchen; Don got up off of the chair and walked over to where his lab on the other side of the lair was. The cool stone of the floor felt good against his feet. That cool sensation distracted him from the rising nausea and the abusive headache that pounded his body even more than the Shredder on a bad day. He started to feel a bit dizzy, so he stopped his stride halfway to the lab and just stood there. Don did not know how long he was there, or that it was very long until he heard Leo's voice calling for him in the dojo. Jolting up from his thoughts of pain and nausea, the techno turtle immediately ran for the dojo. At first, he felt fine with running, but soon he had to resign to a quick walk as he could practically feel the vomit threatening to go up into his throat. Inside the dojo, his brothers were all in a row, seated, and waiting for him. Apologizes went out of the turtle's throat like a hurricane as he rushed to sit down and blend in with the others.

Master Splinter stood in front of them, as strong as he ever was in his old age, and started to explain about agility and the ability to dodge attacks. It was a lecture that everyone had heard almost a dozen times, and it was obvious how each of the brothers took the repeat of the lesson. Michelangelo was sitting next to Raphael and seemed to be more focused on avoiding the red-banded turtle. Raphael was sitting between Leonardo and Michelangelo, and he was about to burst again. Leonardo, however, seemed to be keeping back a lot of anger behind a wall of interest at their Master's lengthy speech. That wall seemed about to break, and Don, who was sitting next to Leo, could not help fidgeting like Mikey was doing with Raphael.

Donatello only half listened to his master and father, which was a mistake that earned him a whack on the head that came from a walking stick. While the turtle had not been listening to Splinter apparently the rat had given out sparring partners. Raphael was going to spar with Michelangelo and Leonardo was going to spar with Donatello. Honestly, Don was a bit scared to go up against seething Leonardo. Being the leader had the potential for making one very angry, and an angry Leo without control (even if it's only temporary) was not a person to even play fight with. Leo was definitely not acting like himself, Don logged in his brain. The turtle in blue never lost control of his emotions, never! **Why is he acting like this all of a sudden? He was just fine- even after his fight with Raph! **Don thought to himself, confused as to why his brother looked so close to losing it now that he was closer to the genius turtle.

"C'mon Don, don't be afraid of the big bad Leo!" Mikey quipped from the other side of the dojo where Raph and he had re-located. Honestly, he looked a bit unnerved by being paired with Raph, who still wanted to kill him for the "girly" comment.

Don gulped audibly at Mikey's comment while walking over to the weapon rack and grabbing a practice Bo staff from it. His mind started to formulate some crackpot idea of escape from sparring. He returned to see Leo looking at him. Don was immediately glad that he was not a foot soldier and had, therefore, never received that gaze in its full intensity. The gaze was a focused force (similar to a laser beam) that made a shiver go down the younger turtle's back. The Bo staff was slippery in his hands; threatening to slip any moment due to an overabundance of sweat. Don got into a lower position than his sword-wielding brother and waited for the signal to begin. **Just a few hours, Don, just a few hours and then you can figure out what has been making he and you both odd,** he thought to himself, trying to keep his spirits up.

"Go," Master Splinter commanded vociferously, and the sparring started.

Leonardo stood there like a zombie, but Donatello was so desperate to end this sparring that he just rushed and went hands thrusted the Bo staff towards Leonardo's plasteron as if it was a sharp javelin. Normally he would not have been so careless, but today he wasn't in the mood to be as focused and as calm as his big brother in blue. It was that recklessness that made him receive a blow to the stomach that forced him to cough up some bile as he fell to the ground. No one noticed the small flecks of bile on the ground, not even Leo. During this one fall, he managed to drop his Bo staff to the ground in a way that made him feel utterly ridiculous. Like he was an amateur. However, Don got up in a very quick moment of clarity and retrieved the fallen staff, twisting it right and left as well as swinging it in order to keep back his brother's Katana blades.

At first, Don could hear the strikes and grunts of both Michelangelo and Raphael, but as Leonardo and Donatello's fight went on those fights melted away like sun into the deep abyss of night. It was sort of like meditation, and now he knew one of the reasons why his leader got up so early in the morning to do Katas. The eldest turtle revved up his attacking as he slashed and kicked at the second youngest turtle, who was trying to dodge most of the attacks. It was of no use, however, because of many factors. The main factor was a big one, though, and that was the fact that he wasn't a fighter. Don was not a fighter now and he, probably, never would be one.

Grunting in pain, Don moved to the side to avoid one of Leo's attacks. He did not calculate where the walls in the dojo were, though, and so he found himself pretty much pinned to the wall. **A ninja always lures his enemies into a trap by thinking ahead…Leo's definitely done some thinking,** Don thought to himself. He gritted his teeth as his brother turned towards him, unbridled rage definitely on his face. He could hear footsteps, two turtle feet and a pair of rat's feet. They were moving towards the area where he and Leo were to be sparring. Don saw Leo move towards him, and, with a sinking feeling, realized that his rescuers would probably be too late.

He saw Leo raise his right Katana upward, in a position typical of splitting someone's head open, and saw his brother's eyes. They weren't the eyes of his brother, but of hatred, revenge, and anger that had finally spilled out of his brother's cool container like molten liquid lava. Leonardo's mental wall had burst. He had no idea what to do with fear pulsing in his body too quickly and the message of "run away" being screamed in his nerves. He slid down the wall as the sand-papery wall scratched his hard shell, and sat on the ground, looking at his leader, his eldest brother. Don's last sight before he passed out was of Leonardo slashing downward with his blade while the purple-wearing turtle's mouth opened. Don's voice pierced the air like a knife and it was covered in the steel of pleading gasps.

"Leo!"

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End file.
